30 Essential Typefaces for a Lifetime

"No matter what language you speak, the characters of that language were among the first things you learned."

So begins the introduction to my new design reference, 30 Essential Typefaces for a Lifetime, edited and curated by Imin Pao and Joshua Berger. In true nerd fashion, while on holiday this summer in Europe, I hit a few museums and of course had to check out the book sections in each one. At the Georges Pompidou Centre, I cheered up, after my previous perilous incidents on the streets of Paris, when I spotted the soothing colours and elegant glossy cover of 30 Essential Typefaces. Like a tonic, I immediately felt the book would help solve some essential questions I'd been confused about for months. Whenever I was creating new print designs, I often struggled with "Which Font?" "When?" and, "Why?" Here, maybe then, were the answers I'd been seeking....perhaps not to the meaning of life....but to what were the essential fonts I should learn and understand deeply? Some have said, "....it takes 10 years for someone to master a typeface." This book claims it contains typefaces for a lifetime! Only 30 typefaces they say? Yes, totally doable!